Stayin' Clean
by piyo-nii
Summary: Even when you're busy saving the world, you still gotta have time to keep up with your personal hygiene. Kumatora apparently has to learn this the hard way.


After what seemed to be countless days of venturing into the vast terrain of Nowhere Islands, it was quite comforting to finally stop and rest. Despite the rough edge of the rocks that occasionally scraped your back, the hot, soothing water calmed your senses. In mere minutes, all of the cuts and bruises that you gained from fighting chimeras and the like disappeared, your body feeling fresh and re-energized yet again. However, even though Duster, Kumatora, and Boney were here, an uncomfortable feeling still hung around in your stomach. _'Why?'_ you would ask yourself; _'they're only trying to help. There's no need to fear them!'_

A small frown appeared on your face, but the soft whimper of your canine friend eased your anxiety slightly. Kumatora didn't look disturbed at all, while Duster only took a few subtle glances at their rather masculine-yet-feminine friend. Knowing that the only female of the group was raised by these strange beings, she must have been used to it by now. Funny how she didn't really mind being absolutely exposed to two males, a dog, and... whatever Ionia was. Speaking of the odd Magypsy, your eyes quickly shift towards her (or him?) since curiosity began to eat away at your gut. A sigh of relief escaped your lips as you noticed that she was currently relaxing her head on one of the larger rocks, eyes closed and face showing nothing but bliss. The water around you swished around gently, creating a weak current that felt like a soft massage. Seeing how there was nothing to worry about at the moment, your eyes began to close slowly...

"So, what did 'ya want to discuss again?" a feminine yet brash-sounding voice asked. It was loud enough for you to awaken, and you quickly sit up in your seat, eyes wide and all. Boney's eyes sparkled with what seemed to be amusement, and you sent a weak and playful glare at his direction.

"Ah, yes... I nearly forgot! The water from these hot springs can really do wonders..." Ionia responded without even bothering to open her eyes. A small sigh came from her before she lifted up her head and faced the group. Kumatora simply rolled her eyes and tapped her fingers impatiently against the rocky border.

"As we all know, dear little Lucas has psychic powers; just like our darling Kumatora!" she crooned, hands clasping together. This earned a look of disgust from the princess of Osohe, along with a faint blush from you. You didn't really need anyone to say anything about your rosy cheeks; the heat that rose with them spoke for themselves. Besides a smug look from Ionia, she simply ignored your reactions and continued. "The Needles can only be pulled by someone who has a very special – not to mention powerful – PSI technique. Why, not even us, the beautiful Magypsies, are capable of such a feat. Thankfully, Lucas here has that power."

PK Love, was it? You briefly recalled the first time you discovered your hidden potential. All of the fear, the uncertainty... it apparently led you to this point right now. And since then, you've been responsible for pulling out these mysterious-looking Needles from the ground. A tinge of regret and anger still resided inside of you, since it was uncommon for such a... a crybaby to be able to save the world. Why were you stuck with such a task? Why couldn't it be someone more courageous... someone that was stronger? Shaking your head, you kept your attention right on Ionia, nodding whenever her gaze crossed with your own.

Kumatora's mouth was already open; probably just to throw back some sort of retort. But of course, she promptly closed it (probably to think for a bit) before finally saying something. "Yeah, yeah... we already know that. But why do you have to remind us now? He's already pulled two of the damn things; there's no need for a recap right now." She raised up her arms just to cross them behind her head and lean back. From the disturbance in the usually-calm turbulence from the hot spring, you automatically assumed that she also shifted her leg somehow. Of course, this didn't bother you nor your other traveling companions one bit. However, the same couldn't be said for Ionia, who's face now bore a frown.

". . ." To your surprise, the talkative Magypsy didn't say a word. Duster, who was asleep just a few minutes ago, was now completely and utterly confused about the man- _woman's_ sudden change in mood. Was it something Kumatora said? Did she discover that she was on that dreaded time-of-the-month that you learned about from your female friend? All you could do at the moment was stare at her until she reacted.

Finally, after several minutes, Ionia took a deep breath and looked at the princess with a piercing gaze. "Kumatora, sweetie..." she hummed in a voice coated with honey. The tone made you shudder with discomfort, as you could clearly tell that the Magypsy wasn't happy about something. The tomboyish girl wasn't aware of the situation either, but she still kept her cool and tough composure. A sharp 'What?' brought up a forced smile from the masculine woman.

"...when was the last time you shaved?"

Before you knew what was going on, Kumatora's face suddenly flared up to sport a dangerous crimson color, embarrassment and anger rather evident. Your eyes widen not only from the confusion, but also something that felt like amusement. Did girls really have to... shave? The Magypsies were different, but you couldn't recall your mother ever having to use a razor to remove any unwanted hair.

...heck, not even _you _shaved yet!

A deep chuckle came from Duster, who immediately shut up once the tomboy's heated glare was directed at him. Boney, who didn't exactly know what to say about the entire thing, simply snorted and returned to swimming around the spring. Something made you want to question Kumatora about this whole process, but another 'something' told you that it would be best to keep quiet. You could feel the slight pain from your fingers squeezing your own palm, nails already forming crescent-shaped dents in your skin.

Speaking of Kumatora, she managed to cool down after a few minutes, but the pink coloring on her cheeks could still be seen. She scoffed before crossing her arms across her chest. "I've been busy helping with savin' this world from its destruction. After all that we've been through, you still manage to bring up something as stupid as _shaving_? How did 'ya know, anyway..." The last part barely came out as a small mumble. Ionia, who dropped her displeased expression long ago, giggled ever-so weirdly and smiled.

"When your leg brushed against mine, I couldn't help but feel those small, little bristles. I thought to myself, 'That can't be mine! I just took care of my business two days ago!' Of course, I then remembered that you haven't touched the special razor that Aeolia got just for you..."

The princess of Osohe grimaced ever so slightly. You could sense the aggravation that was building up inside of her body, and you still considered calming her down. Still, not only did you want to avoid being PK Fire'ed into the nearest tree, but you also wanted to see how this little scenario would turn out. _'How cruel,'_ you thought, but it was bound to be entertaining.

"Well, whatever. If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit occupied, and I clearly don't have enough time to waste on something like that," she replied rather smoothly. Unfortunately for her, the Magypsy remained unfazed by Kumatora's cheeky comment. Still wearing the rather creepy grin, a look of shock quickly spread throughout the princess's features. Before you had any time to ask what was wrong, your sight was quickly cut off with a red and yellow-striped shirt. A cry of alarm escaped your mouth, but Duster's hand on your shoulder managed to make you stop.

"Don't look until I say so," he said. You didn't exactly have the option to remove the shirt from your face anyway, since the grown man's strong grip held it down. Looking through a small gap in the cloth, you could see that he was also covering his eyes with his own palm. You immediately resorted to your sense of hearing, which still sent chills down your spine.

"W-What the hell are you doing-?"

"Hold still, 'hon! It'll only take a second..."

"GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME! Damn it, Ionia! I swear, once you're finished, I'll-"

"Watch your language, little one! It's not becoming of a woman! Ooh, you humans just don't understand it sometimes!"

If the bickering made you scared, then you could only imagine your reaction if you were actually watching what was happening. You began to feel a bit of guilt for not interfering earlier._ 'It's her battle; not mine, I suppose.'_

Boney whimpered and hid his face among your golden locks. 'Oh, the horror! Why didn't anyone cover _my_ eyes?' a voice inside of your head complained. A smile graced your lips as you blindly skim your free hand over the water to find his head and rub it reassuringly. This seemed to please him, as the whining had finally stopped. After a few seconds of rubbing the area behind his ears, the shirt was promptly lifted from your head. Taking in a deep breath of the fresh air, you scanned the area for both Kumatora and Ionia. The two of them were nowhere to be found.

Confused, you look at Duster for answers, but he only shrugged in reply. "I didn't look either, so I don't know where they went. They should be coming back, though."

After all that's happened today, you still can't believe that females had to actually shave. Maybe not all, but the thought was still mind-blowing. Did they fart and burp, like guys do? Shaking your head, you chuckle at such a ridiculous conclusion. _Of course_ they don't do these things. They're women, after all. They're nice, gentle creatures that made babies. What more could be said?

. . .

You then realized that anything was possible; especially since you met the Magypsies. Kumatora also wasn't the most docile person in the world, too...

Eyebrows pursed in thought, many questions began to echo inside of your head, along with the disbelief that came with all of these sudden revelations. Before you could make a list of what a female was, a disgruntled Kumatora and pleased Ionia finally appeared. Thankfully, their friend was fully dressed. Sadly, the other was only covered by a rather short towel that didn't exactly do much to compliment her figure. Oh well; it's not like it really mattered to you.

"Let's just go. Now," the princess grumbled while motioning towards you and Duster. You nodded and complied her orders silently, drying off your hair and putting on your signature shirt. Duster helped Boney get out of the hot spring without that much difficulty, now that they were all healed.

"Oh, don't be so cross!" Ionia remarked with a click of her tongue. "Doesn't it feel nicer now that your legs are no longer as dense as Murasaki Forest-"

"SHUT UP! It wasn't even that bad, anyway!"

The oldest of them all simply giggled, her hand covering her mouth in a rather girlish way. "I'll just have to wait until a later time to talk with you all, seeing how our little girl is throwing a hissy fit. Until then, I bid you goodbye~ " With a flick of her wrist, the scantily-clad body suddenly became paper-thin, allowing the breeze to whisk her away to wherever she was going. Kumatora looked rather relieved as she ran a hand through her choppy red locks.

Still at a loss for words, you muster up the courage to walk up to the older girl. The questioning look in your eyes made her sigh deeply, and this worried you for a minute. "I'll explain when I want to," she answered. Oh, good; at least she wasn't angry at you. Your thoughts were immediately interrupted as a hand began to ruffle your hair, along with a playful snicker from Kumatora.

"I dunno 'bout you guys, but I think we should head out. We're kinda in a race against time here..." she suggested lightly, tapping her wrist as if there was a watch strapped onto it. Boney showed a look of agreement, along with a nod from Duster. They all turned to look at you now, waiting for a reply. Smiling shyly, you nodded your head slowly before looking at the sky. Although you were reluctant to continue the journey, you still wanted to finish what was started. The group that would save Nowhere Islands consisted of a thief, a young boy who was known for being a crybaby, a robust 'princess', and a dog. Sounds funny, doesn't it? You thought it was rather amusing, too. However, there was no time for being picky about your teammates, because apparently, nothing was more important than friendship and personal hygiene.

* * *

><p>Lol what the heck did I just write.<p>

Okay, so I've been a huge fan of the Mother series for a long time now... but I honestly didn't think that I would gain enough willpower to actually write something for it. And about shaving, too? Oh god, I'm losing my touch. xDDD

Well, some constructive criticism would be appreciated, especially since I haven't written anything in a while. I've been much too busy with school work, and even so, I shouldn't be awake at this hour! D:

Reviews would be nice. :)


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